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the big one
Day One of 'The Big One': Tens of Thousands Gear Up for Mass Climate Rallies in UK
"We believe that we will win as a movement," Mel Evans of Greenpeace U.K. said Friday. "The more people that come, the louder our message will be."
Extinction Rebellion staging the 'Big One' climate protest in Westminster. (Photo: Matthew Chattle/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Organizers anticipate that the protests will grow in size on Saturday—which marks Earth Day—and throughout the weekend, with 100,000 people expected to attend demonstrations outside Parliament and dozens of other planned events that, at their core, will deliver the same message: End the era of fossil fuels or face climate catastrophe.
"The desire to make this broad doesn’t mean we're any less radical in our demands," said Nick Dearden, the director of Global Justice Now. "We need to fundamentally transform the way our economy works, nationally and globally, and we're in no doubt about the scale of the challenge in front of us to achieve that."
Extinction Rebellion demonstrators take part in a protest outside the Home Office in London on April 21, 2023. (Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images)
The start of "The Big One" coincided with the Friday release of the World Meteorological Organization's State of the Global Climate report, which showed that "concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—reached record highs in 2021."
The United Nations agency noted that "real-time data from specific locations show that levels of the three greenhouse gases continued to increase in 2022" as rich nations—including the U.K. and the United States—continued burning fossil fuels and approving new oil and gas projects despite increasingly dire warnings from the scientific community.
"Today's report confirms what we already knew: that fossil-fueled climate devastation reached a fever pitch in 2022," said Lisa Göldner of Greenpeace's Fossil Free Revolution campaign. "And it's showing no sign of letting up in 2023, with a deadly heatwave hitting Asia this month and ice sheets melting faster than ever. But it's business as usual for the fossil fuel industry, whose calling card seems to be greenwashing their public image while continuing to commit devastating climate crimes."
"The solution is staring us in the face: the fossil fuel industry must die—not people," Göldner added. "As long as the mighty power of the fossil fuel industry remains unbroken, the climate crisis will continue to escalate. Global governments have to step up; we want all new fossil infrastructure projects stopped this year, global emissions halved by 2030, and ultimately fossil fuels phased out for good. It's a total no-brainer."
The coalition behind "The Big One" is demanding that the U.K. government "end all new licenses, approvals, and funding for fossil fuel projects as we begin a transition to a fair society centered on reparatory justice for all life on earth."
"This is a transformative moment in history, and we will accept nothing less than immediate and decisive action from the U.K. government," the alliance wrote. "The people of this country have the courage and power, and it is our responsibility to safeguard our own future by taking action where politics has let us down with apathy and dangerous false solutions."
If the government fails to deliver a sufficiently bold plan to do so by Monday evening, Extinction Rebellion has pledged to launch "the greatest acts of civil disobedience in this country’s history."
"At 5 pm on Monday April 24, time will be up for the government to respond to our collective demands by agreeing to enter into negotiations to implement them," said Extinction Rebellion's Marijn van de Geer. "At 10 am on Tuesday April 25, XR will issue a call to step up our actions and campaigns to every member of the unprecedented collaboration of groups and movements that we have built.
"This time," she added, "Extinction Rebellion are not alone. Here comes everyone!"
'Unite to Survive': Mass Banner Drop Promotes XR Climate Rally at UK Parliament
While XR members have still engaged in some civil disobedience since—from dousing a U.K. government building in black paint resembling oil to calling out law firms for "defending climate criminals" on office windows—the movement argues that "at this crucial moment in history it's time to do the work and decide together on the kind of future we all want and need."
Banners calling on U.K. residents to "Unite to Survive" were hung Thursday at iconic and everyday sites, from bridges and castles to coastal fences and stone circles—including Durdle Door, Dufus Castle, the Angel of the North, and Castlerigg Stone Circle.
"We will not stand by as the planet burns," vowed Olly Baines, a 72-year-old retired chief executive from St. Austell in Cornwall, England. "Our banners on the A30 in Cornwall are calling for all to join us and Unite to Survive on April 21-24 in London, which aims to be the biggest environmental protest ever. There is no time left."
During those four days, "the streets will be transformed with people's pickets outside government departments and a diverse program of speakers, performers, and workshops, awash with color and culture," says the XR webpage for the event. "There will be art and music, talks from experts, places to listen and engage, and activities for the kids."
The current schedule is:
- Friday, April 21: Unite to Survive—Westminster is filled with flags, banners, and people.
- Saturday, April 22: Earth Day—An enormous celebration and family-friendly march for biodiversity.
- Sunday, April 23: Running Out of Time—The Big One coexists with the London Marathon.
- Monday, April 24: Choose Your Future—Parliament returns, the demand is delivered.
" Extinction Rebellion is founded in creativity with arts groups all over the world," said Bridget Turgoose, a 57-year-old creative director from London. "We make things by hand with an emphasis on doing it together rather than the perfection of a brush stroke!"
"This mass banner drop is to spread the word about the Big One in London, where our creativity and passion will be impossible to ignore," Turgoose added. "There is so much joy in creating which is essential in these dark times. To create is to rebel."
The Big One will come on the heels of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released in March and described by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as "a survival guide for humanity." The document stresses the need for immediate, dramatic cuts to planet-heating pollution, largely by phasing out fossil fuels—and details the dire consequences if the world refuses to do so.
John Lardner, a history teacher from Forres, Scotland, said Thursday that "I am very worried about the world my students will inherit."
"This is why I will be in London from April 21st to demand meaningful action on the climate and ecological crisis," Lardner explained. "For over 50 years we have known about these things but a cabal of greedy fossil fuel businessmen, bankers, politicians, and journalists, have obscured the truth. Enough is enough."
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